Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Veritas Orange’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Veritas Orange’, characterized by its upright, outwardly spreading and rounded plant habit; vigorous growth habit; freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit; large dark green-colored leaves; uniform and freely flowering habit; decorative-type inflorescences with dark orange-colored ray florets; and excellent garden performance.

Botanical designation: Chrysanthemum×morifolium.

Cultivar denomination: ‘VERITAS ORANGE’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium, and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Veritas Orange’.

The new Chrysanthemum plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium. The objective of the breeding program is to create new freely flowering Chrysanthemum plants with unique and attractive ray floret coloration.

The new Chrysanthemum plant is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Veritas Yellow’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 24,231. The new Chrysanthemum plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within a population of plants of ‘Veritas Yellow’ in a controlled greenhouse environment in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium in September, 2011.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum plant by vegetative cuttings was first conducted in a controlled greenhouse environment in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium in January, 2012. Asexual reproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions and cultural conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Veritas Orange’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Veritas Orange’ as a new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant:

-   -   1. Upright, outwardly spreading and rounded plant habit;         vigorous growth habit.     -   2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit.     -   3. Uniform and freely flowering habit.     -   4. Decorative-type inflorescences with dark orange-colored ray         florets.     -   5. Excellent garden performance.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ primarily from the parent, ‘Veritas Yellow’, primarily in ray floret color as plants of ‘Veritas Yellow’ have dark yellow-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can also be compared to plants of Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Katelli’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,674. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of ‘Katelli’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and ‘Katelli’ differed in         leaf shape.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and ‘Katelli’ differed in         inflorescence form.     -   3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered later than plants of         ‘Katelli’.     -   4. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and ‘Katelli’ differed in ray         floret color as plants of ‘Katelli’ had pale orange-colored ray         florets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Chrysanthemum plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Chrysanthemum plant.

The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Veritas Orange’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photograph and following observations and measurements describe plants grown in 19-cm containers during the late autumn in an outdoor nursery in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium and under cultural practices which approximate those generally used in commercial Chrysanthemum production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 25° C. to 30° C. and night temperatures ranged from 15° C. to 20° C. Plants were 20 weeks old when the photograph and detailed description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2005 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Veritas Orange’. -   Parentage: Naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of     Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Veritas Yellow’, disclosed in U.S. Plant     patent application Ser. No. 13/385,751. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About 14 days at             temperatures about 20° C.         -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About 20 days at             temperatures about 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About 30 days             at temperatures about 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About 40 days             at temperatures about 20° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; light brown in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; medium density. -   Plant description:     -   -   Appearance.—Perennial decorative-type Chrysanthemum; stems             upright and outwardly spreading giving a uniformly rounded             appearance to the plant; plants roughly spherical; very             freely branching habit, about 25 to 30 primary lateral             branches develop, each primary lateral branch with multiple             secondary branches; pinching enhances lateral branch             development; dense and full plant habit; vigorous growth             habit; plants flexible, not brittle.         -   Plant height.—About 50 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 60 cm.         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 30 cm to 35 cm. Diameter:             About 2 mm to 3 mm. Internode length: About 2 cm. Strength:             Strong, flexible. Texture: Pubescent; longitudinally ridged.             Color: Close to 136A.         -   Leaves.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple. Length: About 3.5 cm             to 5 cm. Width: About 2.5 cm to 3 cm. Apex: Rounded to             cuspidate. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Palmately lobed and             serrate, sinuses between lateral lobes divergent to             parallel. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Slightly             pubescent. Color: Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to             137A. Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 137C. Fully             expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to 136A; venation,             close to 148C. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Close             to 137C; venation, close to 147B to 147C. Petiole: Length:             About 1 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Texture, upper and lower             surfaces: Slightly pubescent; rough. Color, upper surface:             Close to 136A. Color, lower surface: Close to 137C. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Inflorescence type and arrangement.—Decorative inflorescence             form; inflorescences borne on terminals above foliar plane;             disc and ray florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum.         -   Fragrance.—Slightly fragrant, pungent.         -   Flowering response.—Under natural season conditions, plants             flower in late September in Belgium; flowering response             time, about 38 days.         -   Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color             and substance for about 45 to 49 days in an outdoor nursery;             inflorescences persistent.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—About 30 inflorescences develop             per lateral branch.         -   Inflorescence buds.—Height: About 6 mm. Diameter: About             8 mm. Shape: Globular. Color: Close to 137A.         -   Inflorescence diameter.—About 5 cm.         -   Inflorescence depth (height).—About 3.5 cm.         -   Disc diameter.—About 5 mm.         -   Receptacle diameter.—About 3 mm.         -   Receptacle height.—About 2.5 mm to 3 mm.         -   Receptacle color.—Close to 144B.         -   Ray florets.—Length: About 3.5 cm to 5 cm. Width: About             5 mm. Shape: Oval. Apex: Rounded. Base: Attenuate. Margin:             Entire. Aspect: Mostly flat. Texture, upper and lower             surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Number of ray florets per             inflorescence: About 150 to 200 arranged in about ten             whorls. Color: When opening, upper surface: Close to 183A.             When opening, lower surface: Close to 181A. Fully opened,             upper and lower surfaces: Close to 167B; color does not fade             with development.         -   Disc florets.—Length: About 3 mm. Diameter: About 0.5 mm to             1 mm. Shape: Tubular; apices acute. Number of disc florets             per inflorescence: About 50 massed at the center of the             inflorescence. Color, immature: Close to 145A. Color,             mature: Close to 12A.         -   Phyllaries.—Number of phyllaries per inflorescence: About 25             arranged in two or three whorls. Length: About 4 mm to 6 mm.             Width: About 2 mm to 3 mm. Shape: Ovate. Apex: Rounded.             Base: Rounded to truncate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper             and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color, upper surface:             Close to 137A. Color, lower surface: Close to N137B.         -   Peduncles.—Length, terminal peduncle: About 6 cm. Length,             fourth peduncle: About 6 cm. Length, seventh peduncle: About             6 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Angle: About 30° from vertical.             Strength: Moderately strong. Texture: Slightly pubescent.             Color: Close to 136A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Not observed. Gynoecium:             Not observed.         -   Seeds and fruits.—Seed and fruit production have not been             observed on plants of the new Chrysanthemum. -   Disease & pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common     to Chrysanthemums has not been observed on plants of the new     Chrysanthemum grown under commercial practices. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have     demonstrated excellent garden performance and will tolerate     temperatures ranging from about 0° C. to about 45° C. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Veritas Orange’ as illustrated and described. 